The Big Red gave the Quakers a red light.
Both teams came into this game 2-3 in Ivy League play, looking to leave the Palestra with a .500 conference record. Ahead of the Friday matchup, Cornell suffered a brutal 84-38 loss to the Harvard Crimson; the Quakers, on the other hand, came into the game after winning two consecutive in conference games.
In a game where Penn was at one time down by 16 points, the Quakers showed poise and fight in a down-to-the-wire game the Big Red ultimately won 62-58.
The Quakers defense falters at three-point line
Prior to this matchup, the Big Red (8-11, 3-3) was shooting inefficiently, under 30% from beyond the arc on their season. But that wasn’t the case on Friday at the Palestra. Cornell shot a whopping 60% on triples in the first half, largely from forward Emily Pape.
Although the Quakers shot well on three-pointers themselves, it wasn’t enough to counter Pape’s 15-point rampage during the first two quarters of play.
“I think, you know, much of their threes came when we were in our [man-to-man coverage] just over-helping, chasing them. They were in a lot of motion,” coach Mike McLaughlin said. “[We] blew a couple assignments, and they got a couple of the open ones, and to their credit, they made them.”
Third quarter brings Penn back to life
Cornell continued their scoring spurt in the third quarter, with guard Rachel Kaus scoring six points in just over the first three minutes. The Big Red’s lead ballooned from seven to a margin of 16.
But midway through the third quarter, the Quakers began to show life. It started with a pull-up jumper by junior guard Mataya Gayle. Gayle had been keeping Penn in the game up until this point. She had a team-high 20 points and kept the team within striking distance. The Quakers then went on a 10-0 run to end the third quarter with a just four-point deficit.
The defense clicked in the second half
The same Penn defense that gave up six three-pointers to the Big Red in the first half had a sudden change in the third quarter.
After forcing six turnovers in the first two quarters combined, the Quakers’ zone defense forced six turnovers in the third quarter alone. The stifling defensive effort by Penn held Cornell scoreless after the 6:30 mark of the third period. This trend continued throughout the rest of the second half, as Cornell’s scorching 57% field goal percentage in the first half dropped to a measly 37% in the second.
“We started the second half in a [man-to-man coverage], I think they scored four of the first five possessions, and then we primarily went zone.” McLaughlin said. “I just thought our defensive intensity was better. I think when they got ahead of us a little bit, we rose up a little.”
A final period of trading baskets
The matchup came down to the wire with both teams trading baskets to start the fourth quarter. But the Quakers never managed to take the lead. The closest they would get was at the 1:39 mark of the fourth quarter, when senior guard Simone Sawyer scored a putback off of a missed layup from Gayle to bring the game within one.
Cornell, however, didn’t back down. With just over a minute left to play, Cornell guard Kelsey Langston hit a three-point dagger to get the Big Red lead back to four. Despite the late-game fight from the Quakers in the second half, Penn would end up having done too little, too late.
The Quakers continue their homestead on Saturday, when they take on Columbia at the Palestra.
